LiDestri Management

Meet LiDestri's Executive Management Team

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LiDestri's Management Team

LiDestri's executive team, like the company, is a mix of old and new: people who have dedicated themselves to the company for decades and newer faces brought on for their deep experience with divisions and product lines that are new to LiDestri.

Giovanni "John" LiDestri

Chief Executive Officer

CEO Giovanni "John" LiDestri is an example to the 1000-plus employees he leads of how hard work, dedication and loyalty pay off. A first-generation immigrant from Tusa, Sicily, he started working as a bottle washer in a Ragu Foods pasta sauce facility, quickly rising through the ranks.

In 1976, John was recruited to be general manager of Cantisano Foods by owner Ralph Cantisano. In 1991, he became company president and in 1997, the CEO. Five years later, John bought all remaining shares of the business from the Cantisano family and changed the company name to LiDestri Foods. John has always believed in the power of hiring creative people and giving them "a long runway" to manifest their dreams. He believes, because he knows it from personal experience, that some of the best ideas bubble up from the bottom. John lives in Rochester, NY, with his wife, Dr. Cynthia Reddeck-LiDestri, who plays a key role in LiDestri’s wellness program. They have three grown children: John Jr., Stefani and Dylan. When he is not in the office, John is out riding his Harley motorcycle or swinging a golf club.

Stefani LiDestri

Co-President and Chief Marketing Officer

Stefani is Co-President of LiDestri Food and Drink alongside her brother, John. Stefani has worked with her father Giovanni LiDestri CEO, to modernize systems and practices of a company that continues to grow based on a reputation for true partnerships and speed to market. Since taking on the role as Co-President in 2016, Stefani embraces the fact there is nothing static about today's business environment and created a vision for LiDestri to set the pace in this ever-changing world while remaining steeped in their roots.

Stefani is deeply creative, which helps her innovate and communicate across multiple industries, channels and disciplines. Stefani is instrumental in running the company and guiding its partnerships with charitable causes, serving as co-chair to one of the most successful fundraising events for Paul Newsman’s, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. This remarkable Camp provides year-round services to children, families, and siblings who are coping with serious illnesses. Stefani serves as co-chair of the annual Big Apple Bash in New York City, one of the charity’s most successful fundraising events. Stefani and husband, Rob Szegda’s family include their young daughter, toddler son, and Szegda’s teen daughter.

John C. LiDestri

Co-President of Sales and Supply Chain

John C. LiDestri is co-president of LiDestri, alongside with his sister, Stefani LiDestri, overseeing both Sales and Supply Chain. He has a lifetime of experience in ingredient sourcing on behalf of some of the country’s largest and most dynamic food and beverage manufacturers.

A partner for the past 16 years at National Cortina, he brings that experience back home to LiDestri in his new role of co-president in charge of sales and supply chain management. John has long known the value of building strong partnerships both with suppliers as well as customers, an approach that fits seamlessly with LiDestri’s culture. As the company develops an increasingly innovative portfolio across food, beverage and spirits, he looks forward to building new supplier relationships while nurturing existing ones that go back decades. John is a world traveler at heart, and enjoys vacationing with his kids when they aren’t out biking together or spending time at their beach house in Asbury Park, NJ.

Jennifer Amodeo Shepker

Vice President Finance

Director of Finance, Jen Amodeo Shepker, is an astute and collaborative leader who provides the company’s senior team timely and accurate financial statements along with ongoing cash flow projections. She also has oversight of accounting and finance operations, global risk management, plus the critical role of design and maintenance of the financial reporting structures.

Jen began her career in public accounting at Deloitte in 2004 after completing her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Rochester Institute of Technology and earned her CPA in 2009. She joined LiDestri in 2010 as the financial reporting supervisor, was promoted to Assistant Controller in 2011, Corporate Controller in 2013, and Director of Finance in 2015. Born and raised in a small-town community south of Buffalo, Jen enjoys spending her “free time” outdoors in the country with her husband, toddler son, baby daughter. She is also passionate about giving back, helping to bring awareness to the charity The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp both within and outside of LiDestri.

Laurie Cardillo

VP, Product Innovation & Management, Food and Drink

Laurie joined LiDestri two years ago and currently leads the Product Management and the R&D teams for food, beverages and spirits. These teams are responsible for identifying market trends that can become new brand and product opportunities for LiDestri to capitalize on its nimbleness, creativity and ability to develop and manufacture products.

Laurie’s team leads all parts of the organization in taking products from the concept stage to market and then tracks product performance in meeting customer needs and the company’s earnings goals.

Prior to joining LiDestri, Laurie spent 27 years in the packaging and petrochemical businesses of ExxonMobil Chemical, where she held various leadership positions in Global Marketing, Sales Management, Technology Management and Planning. A Rochester, NY-native, Laurie, her husband, and their three college and high school aged children enjoy spending summertime in the Finger Lakes. They also enjoy college football and cheering on Penn State.

Tom Galanti

Vice President of Supply Chain

As Vice President of Supply Chain at LiDestri Food and Beverage, Tom Galanti is an expert in supply chain high performance business processes and practices. Tom is experienced in nearly all aspects of supply operations, materials management, purchasing, production planning, inventory management, logistics, applied business systems and integrated business process management.

He has demonstrated leadership and innovation with the application of I.T. and redesigned business processes. He led in the establishment of the materials management function, supply logistics and adoption of integrated supply chain business process in manufacturing.

Judy Gosz

Vice President of Food & Beverage Sales

Judy oversees the sales team as they strive to optimize both branded and Private Label offerings to best meet the needs of their retailers and consumers. Judy is passionate about driving growth and profitability as it relates to food & beverage.

She began her career after graduating from The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater by taking a position in NJ with Dannon Yogurt. Her experience with food companies such as Campbells, Brach’s and Heinz helped her understand the complexity of changing demographics and trends. She and her husband have three grown children, moving eight times before settling in Denver, CO. Her hobbies include ATVing, hiking, and horseback riding.

John Matrachisia

Chief Information Officer

As Chief Information Officer at LiDestri Food and Beverage, John Matrachisia is working to create a responsive I.T. organization that aligns technology initiatives with the company’s business goals. John is a recognized technology leader with strategic vision, whose personal skill set blends executive acumen with teambuilding and I.T. solution development and improvements.

Prior to joining LiDestri in 2014, John served as a CIO for other executive teams, and he has more than 14 years of experience in the consumer products manufacturing space. Outside of work, John spends his time skiing, volunteering, boating and golfing—usually accompanied by his wife and four children.

Sarah Miller

Director of Human Resources

Sarah Miller co-leads Human Resources as Director of Human Resources at LiDestri alongside Rob Szegda, Captain of HR Innovation. Sarah is a hands-on HR practitioner who believes that partnering with internal leaders is the critical step that can drive the LiDestri values through the organization and results in a high performance culture.

Her business mindedness adds great value and focus to aligning and deploying our strategic goals through the business, enabling the achievement of our strategic goals. Sarah is responsible for the implementation of HR services, policies, processes and programs across all of LiDestri’s facilities, to support the organization in meeting its corporate objectives.

A 20 year veteran in Human Resources; Sarah joined LiDestri in 2015 after working for SentrySafe as their Director of Human Resources. She is a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst as well as trained in the Lominger International leadership competency model. She has a Leadership Coaching Certificate through the Warner School of Education, University of Rochester and McArdle Ramerman Center. Sarah lives in Victor, NY with her husband Keith and their two children. She spends the majority of her time away from work in ice rinks as a "hockey mom".

Joe Ragazzo

Vice President of Retail & Proprietary Brands, Spirits

Joe Ragazzo joined LiDestri Food and Beverage in 2015 and is directing and re-positioning the division for growth and diversification on a number of fronts. While LiDestri has become a player in the retail brand spirits arena, Joe believes it can do more.

LiDestri aims to help retailers and national brands reach more consumers through innovation in flavor and spirit type. Prior to joining LiDestri, Joe spent a remarkable 20-year career with the well-respected Brown-Forman Corporation, where he led domestic and international sales efforts, shepherding brands such as Jack Daniels, Southern Comfort, Herradura and Finlandia. As is fitting for an executive in the U.S. spirits business, Joe calls the Louisville, KY, area home. Born and raised on a small farm in Wilmington, DE, Joe is passionate about outdoor activities, motorsports and the stock market. He enjoys spending time with his wife and their close friends as well as his five adult children.

Phil Viruso

Chief Operating Officer

Vice President of Manufacturing Phil Viruso oversees the operations of each LiDestri manufacturing plant. During more than 20 years as an entrepreneur and business owner, Phil grew his own company and then sold it. In 2014, he joined LiDestri Food and Beverage and has been instrumental in establishing a new division and strategic development plan for the company’s real estate development.

He focuses on working with employees to improve the company’s dynamic team. Phil brings his passion for the training and education of the workforce to the core of his mission. His other priority is directing LiDestri’s strategic manufacturing plan, ensuring the company remains competitive with unsurpassed quality while providing innovative manufacturing capabilities to customers. Outside of work, Phil is a multi-disciplined martial artist and an avid downhill skier. He also enjoys travel and camping trips to the Adirondacks with his wife and children.